Excessive amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers may be poisoning
huge tracts in India, but there are small islands of sanity that are showing the way out of
the poison spiral. One of them is Nasik district in Maharashtra. Over 600 farmers here have
completely switched to organic farming. There is no looking back, and there are no regrets.

Ask Abhilash Gorhe. He moved into farming after studying engineering at
college. He used huge quantities of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. He was happy with
his yields, and the good bank balance that went with it. But one day he asked himself what
he was doing cultivating poison and then packaging it to ruin the health of the thousands
who were consuming what he grew. That was it. He made a turnaround to organic farming using
homegrown bio-pesticides and manure from the stables at the back of his house. If the
manure fell short, he would buy it from suppliers in Mumbai. Initially his yields fell, but
things are now picking up. The land he farms is rejuvenating to its natural health.

Picture:
An organic farmer ploughs his field in Nasik

Friendly insects like black ants that are natural predators of pests are crawling all over his grape orchard making a hearty meal of the pests. Says he: Ninety-nine per cent of the pests are non-vegetarian and so end up eating other pests. Nature created a perfect system. But since we use so much of chemicals, these pests die. Also natural predators like sparrows which used to eat pests are now disappearing.

Gorhe is now teaching other farmers to use leaves of various plants like
the papaya, castor and custard apple to make bio-pesticides. Cow urine and buttermilk are
also used to make potions to keep the pests away. None of this is rocket science. These
traditional methods were used for decades, but forgotten during the Green Revolution; now
they are being rediscovered as safe and affordable alternatives.

Marigold flowers sprout in Gorhes farm and he loves to see butterflies
flitting around. He never planted the flower saplings. They just grew wild. When he used to
use the pesticides, there were no birds, there were no butterflies. Now, they are numerous.

The enthusiasm of farmers like him is contagious. Many others are now
switching to organic farming. Umesh Bagde of Vadel village in Malegaon tehsil is now
organically growing pomegrantates in his orchard. He has seen a dramatic change of taste in
his fruits; they are sweeter than ever before. He gets a decent price for hem. Says Bagde:
I now feel a sense of fulfillment as my fruits are now free of poison. Atleast now I am
not harming anyone with pesticides.

The fact that even some grape orchards have turned organic is remarkable.
Nasik has large grape farms that annually pump in pesticides worth Rs. 40 to 60 thousand
per acre. Desperate to ensure a good price, some farmers reportedly dip bunches of grapes
after harvesting into insecticide so that flies and other insects do
not sit on them and pockmark the fruit. Going organic is a big swing away from the old ways
for grape farmers.

Nasik farmers who are now into organic farming remark jovially that their farms are a lot
better than they look; the dead leaves strewn about are deliberately scattered to
decompose and mix with the soil. Weeds are left alone; they too are part of the eco-system.

The agricultural extension officers of the
government, who are supposed to advise farmers, are never seen.
Pesticide dealers have filled this void by doubling as advisors on what to sow,
how much pesticides and fertilizers to use, and so on.

When Madhavrao Barve from Kothure village started farming 50 years
ago, there were no pesticides. He used natural elements like neem and castor cakes to fight
pests. Then came pesticides. Like millions of others, he saw his yields rise initially, but
the land was eventually poisoned. Today, he's back to organic farming. His organically
grown sugarcane earns him higher profits. And even as his yield improves, the soil on his
farm is getting healthier.

Barve is seventy plus, but he insists on making his unique organic blend of
fertilizers mixing fresh cow dung with a little bit of honey and ghee. It sounded funny to
those who saw him do it, but Barve knew he would bring back his land to life. He got this
recipe, he says, from the Arthasashtra, the ancient Hindu epic.
Barve now shows off his sugarcane farm saying that he gets 107 tonnes an
acre, more than what other farmers who are still using chemicals get from their lands. He
spends an average of Rs. 200 an acre whereas farmers using chemicals have to spend Rs.
5000, as the pesticides are expensive. We must learn to use repellents and not killers,
he says.

Narayan Sitaram Sonawane of Vadel village looks after 110 acres of family owned
land. He has now converted 25 acres for organic farming and says he will ultimately convert all
of the land. He is taking things slowly, making sure that organic farming doesn't dent his
finances. Many farmers are like Sonawane. They are still very hestitant to go the whole hog into
organic farming, knowing that yields will fall initially. They may realize that eventually they
will make more money out of organic farming but they are not
ready to wait for those three to four years.

Many are also unsure about organic farming, particularly because some people in their communities
especially pesticide dealers - discourage them. The agricultural extension officers of the
government, who are supossed to visit them periodically and advise them on good practices, are
never seen. Pesticide dealers have filled this void by doubling as advisors on what to sow, how
much pesticides and fertilizers to use, and so on. Their vested interests override the farmers'
well-being.

Gorakh Pawar is one of the most vocal organic farmers; as he sees it, it's his
life mission to convert farmers from chemical to organic farming. He and many others
were actually fired by the philospophy of the social activist Pandurang Shastri Athvale,
who told them that they should not plough poison into their fields, poisoning the food
chain and destroying countless lives. While the government's guidance has been
short-sighted and chemical-based, it has been left to spiritual leaders like Athvale to
nudge farmers along in the right direction.

Athvale is no more, but his ardent followers - farmers like Pawar - are now
carrying the torch into more fields to get rid of the poison that years of pesticide use
have created.